Smart Golf Club

ABSTRACT

A golf club that gives instant feedback for helping a player improve his/her ball striking skills while practicing a swing where the golf club has a shaft which is permanently or removably attached to the club head and the club head may have added weights. A shaft extension is attached to the heel of the club face. The toe area of the club head is higher than the club face and the toe and toe area curves down with a sharp indentation.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/335,367 filed on Jan. 6, 2010, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a training and practice aid for golfersmore particularly to a golf club that gives instant feedback to help agolfer improve his/her ball striking skills while practicing a swing.

2. Description of Related Art

A variety of golf teaching aids is available to golfers to help themwith their swing. More specifically, by way of example, U.S. Pat. No.7,018,301 to Cascerceri, et al. discloses a rocking footplate whichalerts an athlete such as a golfer to the occurrence of improper rearfoot weight placement. The footplate is placed under the athlete's rearfoot and includes upper and lower plates which are joined by a hingehaving an axis of rotation which is aligned with the center of the foot.The bottom of the device includes spikes which engage the ground toprovide a stable base for the hinged top plate. The top plate is in theanatomical shape of a foot to aid proper foot placement on the device.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,004 to Florian discloses a golf training apparatuscomprising a base pad with indicia for locating a golfer's feet fordifferent golf swings, and a pair of footpads, one of which rocks on afulcrum and the other is disposed in a non-rocking position for teachinga golfer a proper weight shift during his swing.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,027 to Kachmar discloses a device for stabilizing agolfer's feet and stance while he practices his swing. The device has asubstantially flat mat in which a left foot gripping element and a rightfoot gripping element are each slidably engaged. The gripping elementcan secure a golfer's feet parallel to each other in a given stancewhile the golfer practices a golf swing. The gripping element can beslid nearer or farther away from each other and locked in the selectedposition to provide a variety of widths of stance.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,036 to Hamilton discloses a flat horizontal platformmounted on a base by a central board between the two. A golfer stands onthe platform addressing a ball in front of the platform. The platformtilts left or right about the left or right side of the center board ifthe golfer's center of weight shifts beyond the left or right side ofthe enter board. A clicker between the base and platform on theback-swing side, alerts the golfer to an improper weight shift towardthe back-swing, providing feedback during training to eliminate thisstroke motion error.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,673 to Castleberry discloses a golf-swing trainingapparatus having a base, a rotator disc for receiving one foot of auser, and means for anchoring the apparatus to a playing surface. Therotator disc is pivotably coupled to the base by a screw. Frictionreducing means is coupled between the rotator disc and the base toreduce rotational friction. Using the apparatus when making a golfswing, the user's foot will rotate on the rotator disc allowing the userto rotate her torso easily with minimal swaying. In addition, the userwill be able to lift her heel while keeping the ball of her foot on therotator disc.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,195 to Callanan discloses opposing right-hand andleft-hand gripping portions or areas of a frame or circular disc. Thegripping portions are spaced apart a distance somewhat equal to thegolfer's waist width so that the arms are correctly positioned as in aproper golf stance and swing. By firmly grasping each gripping portionwith the device positioned in front of the golfer similar to that of agolf club, the device may be swung and properly rotated during an entirepractice golf swing to accurately simulate the hand, arm and bodymovement of a proper golf swing. Viewable arrow indicia positionedcentrally on an obverse surface of the device viewably advises thegolfer of the proper rotational orientation at each stage of the swing.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,290 to Sawyer discloses a swing training apparatusfor temporarily immobilizing a users back foot except for pivotalmovement; where the apparatus has a base member rotatably secured to aplatform member; and, releasable securing means secures the user foot tothe platform member for teaching the user the proper swing technique forbaseball, softball and golf.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,863 to Stefani, et al discloses a base with a firstfoot pad and a second foot pad supported thereon, one of the foot padsbeing movable toward or away from the other foot pad. Each foot pad hasa support surface upon which one foot of the golfer is placed. Thesupport surface of the first foot pad is rotatable only from ahorizontal position to an inwardly-facing position in relation to thesecond foot pad and the support surface of the second foot pad forms apredetermined angle with the base.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,739 to Johnson, III discloses a stepped surface uponwhich the golfer places his rear foot and a wand which extends inproximity to the rear hip. The upper surface of the base member, at thelocation of the rear foot of the golfer, includes a single step with thelower level beneath the inside edge of the foot and the upper levelbeneath the outside edge of the foot, the step itself being locatedapproximately along the longitudinal center-line of the foot's position.Extending upwardly from the surface of the base member, a wand,positioned to be proximate the rear hip of the golfer during the normalpre-swing stance, indicates substantial body sway during the backswingby contact with the hip. The base member may include an artificialgrass-like upper surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is discloseda golf club that gives instant feedback for helping a player improvehis/her ball striking skills while practicing a swing where the golfclub has a flexible shaft which is permanently or removably attached tothe club head and the club head may have an added weight. A downwardprojecting spike is attached to the heel of the club face. The toe areaof the club head is higher than the club face and the toe and toe areacurves down with a sharp indentation.

The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined inorder that the more detailed description that follows may be betterunderstood and in order that the present contribution to the art maybetter be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will bedescribed hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claimsthat follow.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangements of the componentsset forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of thepresent invention so that those skilled in the art may better understandthe detailed description of the invention that follows. Additionalfeatures of the invention will be described hereinafter that form thesubject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art shouldappreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception andspecific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying otherstructures for carrying out the same purposes of the present inventionand that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scopeof the invention in its broadest form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome more fully apparent from the following detailed description, theappended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elementsare given similar reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the club face showing a flexible or rigid shaftextension attached to the heel of the club face, where the toe area ofthe club is higher than the club face top, where the toe and toe areacurve down with a sharp indentation like a water fall, and where the tipof the flexible shaft is parallel to the target line;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the golf club showing the toe and toe areacurving down with a sharp indentation like a water fall;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective of an embodiment where the club head hasa cover that does not cover the club face, the tip of the shaft is apart of the cover or the cover has an opening for the tip of the shaft;

FIG. 4 is a view of a screw method of attaching the flexible shaft tothe golf head;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a clip method of attaching the flexibleshaft to the golf head;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the golf head in accordance with theprinciples of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a view of a simple to follow color chart of the focal path ofthe club which gives a visual understanding of the important part of thegolf swing before, during and after impact with a ball.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The conventional club designed by club makers make an effort to providea larger sweet spot for forgiveness when a golfer miss hits a ball andprovide a sloped design for low center of gravity to promote lift ratherthan teach a golfer how to hit the sweet spot and what is the proper wayto use the golf club to improve his/her game. In most instances golfersare on their own when they buy clubs.

Instructional manuals have never been available for golf clubs. Allconventional club designs force golfers to visualize a scooping swing tothe ball rather than rotating down through the ball. A golfer does notneed to scoop the ball to hit high because the loft of the club willmake the ball go high.

The result is that golfers are confused by the many wrong teachingmethods and different ways that are suggested to use the golf club.

Except for special situation shots, to get a solid hit there is only oneway to contact the ball with the club face. For a right hand golfer,rotate the club handle counterclockwise. The toe of the club should bepast the heel of the club. The tip of the shaft should stay parallel tothe target line.

Thus, when playing golf it is important that the player first perfecthis/her golf swing. One aspect that is required to obtain a proper swingin golf is the coordinated movement of the various parts of the playersbody to transfer energy from the feet to the hips, and then through theshoulders to the arms where the energy is released through the golf clubhead or the tennis racket.

To obtain a proper swing a player must first learn to coordinate therotation of the various parts of his/her body while swinging a golfclub. An important aspect of a proper swing is the follow through afterthe golf ball is hit. For example, in golf after the ball is hit theplayer must rotate his/her body about one leg to continue swinging thegolf club all the way up and behind the player's back.

All of these various movements of a person's body must be performed witha smooth and graceful rhythm which can only be obtained if the playermaintains his/her balance from start to finish.

One aspect of a golfer swing is the extent that the golfer is able tocontinuously hit a golf ball with the same smooth coordinated movementof his/her body and arm swing while maintaining his/her balance.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a side and top view of theclub head showing the flexible or rigid shaft extension of any colorattached to the heel of the club head, where the toe area of the club ishigher than the club face top, where the toe and toe area curve downwith a sharp indentation like a water fall, and where the tip of theflexible shaft is parallel to the target line.

The club head is attached to a flexible shaft and is made of a materialwhich, in one embodiment, is not designed to hit a golf ball or anyother object and where forcefully bending of the flexible shaft by handmay break or damage the shaft.

Continuing with FIGS. 1 and 2, the toe area 14 is higher than the clubface 16 and the club toe 18 and toe area 14 curve down with a sharpindentation that is similar to a water fall. Projecting down from theheel of the golf head is a colorful flexible or rigid shaft extensionthat has a diameter of between one thirty seconds of an inch and threeinches, and a length of between one quarter and fifteen inches where alength of about one and three eighths inches, more or less ispreferable. The club head may be made of a rigid metal, titanium orrubber, and the flexible shaft may be made of graphite, steel or aplastic

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, attached to the end of the flexible shaft isa small colorful object 22 which is removably or permanently attached tothe club and is used to attach the club head to the flexible shaft. Inone embodiment, see FIG. 4, the flexible shaft 14 can be permanentlyattached to the club head or removably attached to the club head. In theembodiment where the flexible shaft is removably attached to the clubhead, the flexible shaft is inserted into an opening in the club headand locked to the club head with a thumb screw 24 which threads into athreaded opening in the flexible shaft. In this embodiment the head ofthe thumb screw can be painted a bright color such as red to alsofunction as the small colorful object 22.

In another embodiment, see FIG. 5, the flexible shaft 14 is removablyattached to the club head with a clip 26 which is a part of the clubhead and is sized to receive the end of the flexible shaft. A fasteningmeans such as a thumb screw, a clamp, a strip of Velcro, etc can be usedto removably attached the flexible shaft to the club head.

Referring to FIG. 2, a strip of material 30 having a distinctive colorand a long tapering shape is attached to the top and front of the clubhead.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a partial perspective of anembodiment where the club head has a cover 32 that covers the top of thegolf head but does not cover the club face, where the tip of the shaftis a part of the head cover or the head cover has an opening for the tipof the shaft. The cover may be removably attached to the club head witha strip of Velcro 34 which wraps around the club shaft. In an embodimentthe cover may be of a specific color such as orange, red, etc., whichhas a desired design imprinted thereon. In another embodiment a decalmay be attached to the cover or the cover is not used and a decal islocated directly on the club head.

In an embodiment, a weight in the form of lead may be added to the clubhead to provide a club head that has a desired weight of betweenone-half of a pound and ten pounds. The weight of the golf head incombination with the flexible shaft of the club helps to create lag formaximum club head speed at impact and helps to build muscle memory forrepeatable golf swings.

Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a perspective view of the golf headin accordance with the principles of the invention.

Looking at FIG. 7, there is shown a simple to follow color chart of thefocal path of the club which gives a visual understanding of theimportant part of the golf swing before, during and after impact with aball. The golf club here disclosed has a unique and unparalled designthat gives instant feedback to improve ball striking skills for alllevels. The flexible shaft and weight of the club create lag for maximumclub head speed at impact and helps to build muscle memory forrepeatable golf swings. The club's simple to follow color chart gives aclear visual understanding of the most important part of the swingimmediately before, during and after impact with a ball. Looking at FIG.7, at the start of a swing and prior to impact the path of the tip ofthe shaft “A” which may be colored blue and the path of the toe “B”which may be colored orange are identical. Upon impact, the shaftextension 20 follows the blue line “A” staying parallel to the targetline while the toe 14 of the head rotates through impact following theorange line “B”.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferredembodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered asillustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended tobe exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described toprovide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and itspractical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art toutilize the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All suchmodifications and variations are within the scope of the invention asdetermined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance withthe breadth to which they are entitled.

1. A golf club that gives instant feedback for helping a player improvehis/her ball striking skills while practicing a swing, the golf clubcomprising: a club head; a shaft attached to the club head; and aflexible or rigid shaft extension of any color extending down from theheel of the club head; wherein the toe area is higher than the clubface; and wherein the toe and toe area curves down with a sharpindentation.
 2. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the shaft is flexible.3. The golf club of claim 2 wherein the shaft extension is flexible. 4.The golf club of claim 3 wherein the shaft extension has a length ofbetween one quarter and fifteen inches.
 5. The golf club of claim 3wherein the shaft extension has a diameter of between one-thirty secondsof an inch and three inches.
 6. The golf club of claim 3 wherein the tipof the flexible shaft is parallel to the target line.
 7. The golf clubof claim 3 wherein the club head may be made of a rigid metal, titaniumor rubber and the flexible shaft is made of grapnite, steel, or aplastic.
 8. The golf club of claim 3 wherein the flexible shaft ispermanently attached to the golf head.
 9. The golf club of claim 3wherein the flexible shaft is removably attached to the golf head with ascrew that connects the shaft to the golf head.
 10. The golf club ofclaim 3 wherein the flexible shaft is removably attached to the golfhead with a clip that is a part of the club head.
 11. The golf head ofclaim 3 wherein a cover is removably attached to the club head but doesnot cover the club head.
 12. The golf head of claim 3 wherein a decal isattached to the club head or to a cover on the club head.
 13. The golfhead of claim 3 wherein a weight is added to the head of the golf club.14. The golf head of claim 13 wherein the weight of the golf club isbetween one-quarter and three pounds after adding weight to the head.15. The golf head of claim 3 wherein a small colorful object is attachedto the club head.